Flight Diverted Due to 'Unbearable' Smell Coming From Restroom

Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Cailey Rizzo

March 07, 2017

A flight in India was forced to make an emergency diversion due to a “pungent smell” coming from the bathroom.

A SpiceJet flight from Bangalore to Delhi was forced to make an emergency landing in Hyderabad on Sunday after passengers began complaining about the “unbearable” smell emanating from the plane’s front lavatory. The smell had made its way from the bathroom into the cockpit.

The Boeing 737 aircraft—which was carrying 184 passengers, including four infants—made an emergency diversion after 50 minutes of flight.

"After landing in Hyderabad, the lavatory and cockpit were thoroughly cleaned and ventilated before the aircraft was released for service,” a spokesperson for the airline said in a statement.

After one hour on the ground in Hyderabad, the flight took off and continued onto Delhi without further problems. The spokesperson did not comment on the nature of the smell.

This is not the first instance of a flight making an emergency landing due to a foul odor from the restroom. In March 2015, a British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Dubai was forced to return to the airport when someone clogged the toilet and a smell permeated the cabin.